Screening babies’ genomes could save lives. Here’s how it would work

TL;DR - Nature surveys large-scale newborn genome-screening studies under way worldwide, examining how sequencing babies at birth might enable earlier detection and treatment of serious conditions. Whether such programmes deliver sufficient benefit at population scale remains uncertain.

• Studies are testing genomic screening of newborns across multiple countries.
• The approach could identify actionable genetic conditions before symptoms emerge.
• Key unresolved issues include scalability, practical feasibility and overall net benefit.
• The provided summary does not report specific clinical outcomes or study results.